6.09.2010

The Art of Dumplings

Adam is fairly mellow so getting any kind of enthusiastic response out of him is a rareity. Of all the meals I make I know two that are front runners for his favorites - the first, Meaty Macaroni and the second, Chicken and Dumplings.

I have heard that making dumplings is a bit of an art form (don't laugh, but I think I heard it on Oprah). I have been making dumplings since I went off to school, borrowing my mom's recipe. It is also one of my favorite meals and one of my "Sunday After Church" staples. I thought I'd share with you my process so you too can become a dumplings aficionado.

First things first - boil a whole chicken. If you can't boil a chicken, then retreat. This meal is over your head! =) You'll need the left over broth for the dumplings - a can of such has no place in this recipe. While the chicken is boiling, let us begin the dumplings.

In a medium sized bowl, you're going to mix the two ingredients together until you have a consistency between waffle/pancake mix and pizza dough. That's about as clear as your "measurements" are going to get. Maybe this is where the art form starts to come in... Please note the bowl you see pictured below is far older than I am. If you wait long enough, your belongings will too become "vintage".

After you've created your dumplings mixture, remove your chicken from the pot and keep warm until your meal is complete. Pour out the excess the broth until you have about an inch of standing broth in your pot. Bring to a boil.

Once the broth begins boiling take a spoonful of the dumpling mixture and plop it into the pot. Yep, plop. Plop your spoonfuls around the surface of the pan so they have room to "grow". Don't stir or move the dumplings - just plop.

This next time is by far the most important and the key component to successful dumplings! Once you have transferred the dumpling mixture to the pot, reduce the heat to medium-low and allow to cook for 10 MIN. UNCOVERED. After the 10 minutes it up, without adjusting anything, simply cover your pot and cook for an additional 10 MIN. DO NOT PEEK. DO NOT REMOVE THE LID AT ALL DURING THE 10 MINTUES.

Oh man. That right there is heaven.

We always serve our dumplings with mashed potatoes - the liquid from the dumplings makes an excellent gravy. Paired with a veggie and occasionally a roll you have a delicious, down home meal. It may look a little gooey (I'm pretty sure I was scared of dumplings as a child) but sometimes the ugliest foods are the yummiest!